Whatcom County’s unemployment rate drops in July despite job losses

The county's job losses came amid a decrease in the overall labor force.

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WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom County’s economy saw some promising news last month.

The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) reported on Tuesday, Aug. 25, that the county lost about 155 jobs from June to July.

Some of that job loss could be attributed to the county’s labor force falling by over 650 people.

Overall, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to dropped from 4.1% to 3.6%.

It’s the lowest unemployment rate Whatcom County has seen in just over a year, since June 2025. It was also lower than the same time last year, when the county’s unemployment rate sat at 4.4% in July 2025.

Tuesday’s report from ESD continues an encouraging trend of five straight months without an increase in the county’s jobless rate.

Skagit County has seen a similar pattern, though it added jobs between June and July since its labor force had a minor increase. Both counties remained comfortably below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.5%, non-seasonally adjusted.